Tel Aviv [Israel], January 29 (ANI/TPS): Israel is unprepared for emergency scenarios concerning the government-owned Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Company, according to a sharply critical State Comptroller's report released on Wednesday.
"The Eilat-Ashkelon pipeline, known as KATZA'A, holds strategic importance for Israel. However, successive governments have failed to adequately prepare for emergencies and have delayed decision-making," said State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman emphasizing the pipeline's pivotal role in Israel's national security. As a result, during the current war and during a two-week conflict in May 2021, "Israel came dangerously close to a disruption in its fuel supply during emergencies."
The comptroller, also known as the state ombudsman, periodically releases reports auditing Israeli preparedness and the effectiveness of government policies.
The report said emergency fuel supplies were insufficiently prepared for emergencies, critical facilities such as the Ashkelon port were inoperable due to security threats, while the Eilat port lacked the capacity for unloading and storing refined fuel. The situation, the report added, was exacerbated by regulatory constraints from the Ministry of Environmental Protection.
Englman also criticized KATZA'A for not completing the necessary measures to prevent environmental damage. Specific recommendations, such as installing additional valves on pipelines to mitigate spill risks, were delayed for years. Of particular concern, 47% of the 254 kilometers of one pipeline, which connects Eilat and Ashkelon, runs through areas classified as having "high to very high" environmental sensitivity. This includes 101 kilometers of pipeline passing through nature reserves and national parks.
Since 2021, government deliberations over expanding and upgrading fuel operations in Eilat remain stalled among disagreements between ministries on risk assessment standards and the economic impact of environmental policies. Despite the prolonged discussions, it was only in May 2024 that the Prime Minister's Office concluded its review of the matter, nearly two and a half years after the debate began.
KATZA'A's management practices also came under scrutiny.
"It is unacceptable that when calculating certain salary components for senior employees, past oil spill incidents were not taken into account," Englman remarked. Issues were also identified in KATZA'A's contracts with external legal advisors, internal auditors, and public relations firms. The report revealed irregularities in the company's hiring processes and a lack of competitive bidding for these roles. Between 2021 and 2023, the external legal advisor's cumulative salary amounted to 7.6 million shekels ($2.1 million) without a formal public tender process.
The report also highlighted a lack of diversity in KATZA'A's leadership. It emerged that the EAPC board of directors does not have adequate representation of women, and as of 2021, only one female director out of six directors. The report said this was not in line with a resolution which set a goal of equal representation between men and women on the boards of directors of government companies. Furthermore, there is no representation of individuals from minority groups, such as Ethiopian Israelis or new immigrants, Englman found.
Englman urged immediate government action to address these challenges. "It is essential that the government holds discussions promptly to adopt the inter-ministerial team's conclusions regarding the expansion of Eilat port operations, particularly in light of the ongoing emergency," referring to the war.
The report also recommended transferring KATZA'A's oversight from the Finance Ministry to the Ministry of Energy to ensure alignment with national energy policies. Additionally, the government should balance environmental considerations with the energy sector's operational needs, particularly during crises. (ANI/TPS)
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